VIDALIA — The Concordia Parish School Board is happy with the work of its interim superintendent and plans to wait until at least January to take stock on potentially starting a superintendent search.

Interim superintendent Loretta Blankenstein was hired in December to replace Paul Nelson, who resigned effective Jan. 1.

“She came in during a chaotic time,” board member Rickey Raven said. “Mrs. Blankenstein has come in and calmed everything down.”

Board President Raymond T. Riley said there is not currently a timeline for beginning a superintendent search.

“We want to stop the boat from rocking and let the school system settle back down before we do a superintendent search,” he said. “We didn’t want to send a bad signal to the community by having three different superintendents in a year.”

Riley said he’d like the district to get through the end of 2015-2016 school year and get the beginning of the next year taken care of before the board even sits down to discuss a new superintendent.

“We are grateful that (Mrs. Blankenstein) has agreed to come back and help us out,” he said. “She said she’d be there until we decide to do what we want to do.”

Raven said if the district is going to do a superintendent search, then the end of the next school year would likely be the right time to start.

“I do believe if we decide to move forward that it would be next summer,” he said. “Originally I thought we would start a superintendent search this summer, but with the calming effect Superintendent Blankenstein has shown, I think we will continue on right now and focus on bettering the system.”

When the board opens up the position, Raven said he hopes Blankenstein would apply for the job.

Board member Ronnie Bradford said January sounds like a good timeframe to start having a potential discussion.

“At some point in time, we will be looking to name a permanent superintendent, but at this point in time, we do not really have a timeframe,” he said. “Everything is going well right now, so we are leaving it alone.”

Blankenstein said she has been happy to work with the Concordia Parish School Board.

“We are trying to work together to try and settle some issues that were there, and try to move forward,” she said.

As for potentially removing the interim from her title, Blankenstein said, “I have not closed the door on any opportunities.”

Nelson replaced Blankenstein in 2012 when she retired after four years as superintendent and 24 years in the district including being a principal. She had served as acting superintendent from November 2007 to February 2008, when she was officially appointed.

Blankenstein retired following a successful fight with breast cancer. After getting some rest, she worked with her husband as secretary-treasurer at Blankenstein’s Supplies and Equipment in Natchez.